"Coming Home" by Cinderella

Song#:  3858

Date:  04/08/1989

Debut:  92

Peak:  20

Weeks:  17

Genre:  Hard Rock, Glam Metal

Pop Bits:  By this point in time, Cinderella's second album Long Cold Winter had hit the double-platinum mark and spawned three Pop chart entries including the #12 "Don't Know What You've Got (Till It's Gone)" (#10 Rock). The band's label decided to go for a fourth single and chose to release this power ballad. It clicked on MTV and radio with the song getting to #13 Rock and just making the Pop Top 20. While the hit would help sell a few more albums, it would take nine years before it would get bumped up to triple-platinum status.

ReduxReview:  Back in the day I didn't get into hair bands. There were a few minor exceptions and Cinderella was one of them. They were not like Poison, Warrant, or Mötley Crüe who were known for their bad behavior and raucous and/or sex-drenched party anthems. Cinderella took their glam metal in a different direction adopting a more bluesier sound via bands like Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones. Their songs were more thoughtful as well and they avoided wink-wink, nudge-nudge sex stuff like "Cherry Pie." This was my favorite song of theirs. It was a well-written power ballad that had different sections that stood out on their own. I especially like the bridge with the addition of the piano and the soaring outro with the "I'm on my way" background vocals. It should have gone Top 10. Their swampy 1990 single "Shelter Me" was also another winner and should have done better. Cinderella did well and sold millions of albums, but I've always thought they were underrated and unfairly lumped in with the party bands like Poison.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  The band would return in 1990 with their third album Heartbreak Station. Incorporating even more blues-oriented rock, the LP would be a #19 platinum seller that featured a pair of Rock Top 10s, the #5 "Shelter Me" (#36 Pop) and the #10 title track (#44 Pop). Unfortunately, in '91 lead singer Tom Keifer experienced vocal chord issues that led to surgical repair. The long recovery time kept the band from releasing a new album until '94. By that time, the rock music landscape had significantly changed. Hard rock/glam metal was no longer in fashion and that left Cinderella's fourth album Still Climbing flopping at a minor #178. The results left them off the Mercury Records roster. After a break, the band would get back to touring and would even sign on with another label, but things went sour and they wouldn't be able to record a new album. They would continue to tour over the years and would cap off their career with final performances in 2014.

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